ShadowRAM: May 26, 2008

He's No. 1 In Our Hearts
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But don't worry, channel idol fans—you'll be able to catch David Archuleta soon on the "American Idol" tour kicking off this summer. As for Jeff Archuleta, you can check out his eBay store online or pay him a visit at the Arch Consulting offices in Utah.

When Irish Data Centers Are Smilin'
• To realize the glittering promise of its Software Plus Services vision, Microsoft is building massive data centers in places like San Antonio, Chicago, and Dublin, Ireland, and plans to stuff them full of hundreds of thousands of servers to beef up its online service delivery capabilities.

When it opens next summer, Microsoft's Dublin data center, pictured here, will be used to power Microsoft's Live Services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The $500 million facility is located in Grange Castle Business Park in the Dublin suburbs and will reportedly utilize a significant degree of automation in order to keep staff levels at around 20 employees.

Dublin's cool, windy climate makes it one of the most desirable data center locations in Europe, and climate reportedly played a major role in Microsoft's decision to locate its first major data center outside the U.S. in the Irish capital.

n Bob Stegner, senior vice president of North American marketing at Synnex, kicked off the Synnex VARnex conference looking "cool" on a Harley and proclaiming "He's already back," following a spoof based on "Terminator 2."

For Stegner, a 10-year veteran of Ingram Micro who jumped ship to Synnex last September, VARnex is a coming home of sorts as he was the one who helped build Ingram Micro's VentureTech community. Now he's driving Synnex's community to new heights. Look out, Ingram Micro.

He's back.

Seen And Heard
• Hard to believe, but this long line was for the opening day of Apple's newest retail store in Boston. Visitors were run through a gauntlet of cheering, clapping Apple employees. When asked by a shopper what all the screaming was about, one Apple Specialist replied, "It's because we're very excited. I've been screaming for three hours." And that was at 7:30 p.m. Only three and a half hours left until closing.